A 10-year-old German boy found what may well be an authentic Egyptian mummy, nestled in one corner of his grandmother's attic. According to a report by the BBC, the mummy was found inside a sarcophagus with hieroglyphs on the outside and was packed into a wooden crate.

Alexander Kettler also found two other boxes in the attic, according to German newspaper Spiegel. Those boxes contained an earthenware Egyptian death mask and a canopic jar; the latter is a container ancient Egyptians are believed to have used to store the entrails of mummified people.

According to Alexander's father, Lutz Wolfgang Kettler, the sarcophagus, the jar and the death mask are probably replicas. However, he says he is sure the mummy itself may be real and may have belonged to his father.

"He was of the older generation who experienced a lot in the war and didn't really talk about anything. I do seem to remember him mentioning having been to the city of Derna in Libya," Lutz told Spiegel.

Trade in ancient Egyptian antiquities is now illegal. However, at the time Lutz Kettler's father was in Africa (understood to be in the 1950s), the buying and selling of mummies or other artefacts was allowed.

Lutz Kettler plans to establish its authenticity by having it inspected by Berlin archaeologists. "You just don't get the feeling that's something you could buy at a shop around the corner," he said.

If the mummy is real, the Kettlers might be allowed to retain possession.